Ecology

Rising sea levels are contributing to a phenomenon called “ghost forests,” which are groups of dead and dying standing trees that have been drowned by intruding saltwater. And all along the eastern U.S. where there […]

Scientists at McMaster University have uncovered new evidence that the fungus causing white-nose syndrome, a deadly disease affecting bats, may be more widespread in Western Canada than existing testing methods reveal. In their paper published […]

In the heart of the Marais Poitevin regional nature park, the second-largest wetland in France, a scientific team led by a CNRS researcher has demonstrated the ability of clay soils to self-organize into geometric patterns. […]

When it comes to fishing, reeling in the biggest one is often the goal. But as it turns out, leaving the largest and oldest fish in the water can help entire fish populations cope better […]

Why do animals behave differently, and what are the consequences of this? A research team from the Collaborative Research Center NC³ at Bielefeld University and the University of Münster now provides a new explanation: epigenetic […]

As bees and hummingbirds flit from flower to flower, greedily sipping nectar in exchange for pollination, the animals often get another treat: alcohol. In the first broad analysis of the alcohol content of flower nectars, […]

Dung beetles remove feces from wild animals in forests and thus inhibit the spread of parasites. They work the dung into the soil and thus supply nutrients to plants. They fulfill this task both in […]

Climate-driven disturbances such as marine heat waves are rapidly reducing coral cover and degrading reef ecosystems worldwide. Using a mathematical model, a research team led by Subhendu Chakraborty at the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine […]

According to the authors of a study published in the journal Coral Reefs, fire corals may be undergoing a “silent extinction.” Coral bleaching occurs when seawater temperatures rise, causing the zooxanthellae (microalgae that live inside […]

With almost a third of cacti species threatened with extinction, a new open-access database of cactus ecology and evolution could help scientists and conservationists save species from the brink.This article was originally published on this […]